Magnetic Bottle Opener

So this is my take on the magnetic bottle opener. All credit to those before me who worked out how to do it, etc. – I am forever in your debt because this thing is pretty dang cool!

I have been the lucky recipient of hardwood scraps as of late, so I have been able to work with walnut, padauk, bubinga, wenge and even some mahogany as a result. None have been large enough to make furniture of course, so I needed to figure out projects that could use thin strips and odd shaped scraps – hence the bottle opener.

Not a difficult project by any means – rip thin strips, glue them onto not so thin strips, rout, sand and bore a Forstner hole in the back to accept an N50 rare earth magnet and Bob’s your uncle!

The big cost, of course, is the metal bits – magnets and bottle openers. But the finished products have been hugely popular thus far and I am wondering how many of my friends might want one now!

The magnets I am using can hold at minimum a 12 pack of caps before the wife comes round to scoop them away – I have little doubt they could hold at least twice as much, but I can only get so drunk!

I chose to have the whole works mount through the bottle opener itself into the wall – I may change my mind on future renditions if this fails. Sanded to 220, the finish is a simple coat of butcher block oil to bring out the natural feel of the wood. I quite like it!

Sorry for the bad image quality – but after 12 craft brews….

-- “Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

mkondor , I am not sure what strength or size magnet he used but the N50 that he mentioned is the Grade of material used on his magnet. Here is a good source for them that has all sizes and strengths in different shapes.

As to the question regarding magnet strength, Richard is correct in saying N50 is the grade. For the first couple I used 2” x 1/4” disc magnets with a pull rating of nearly 60 pounds epoxied into a hole on the back of the board. Amazingly strong to say the least, even through the 1/4” of wood hiding the magnet from view. I believe it’s a bit of over kill and the price of the magnets is causing me to experiment with other sizes in the N50 grade.

As for hanging it on a fridge, I am sure the magnet would hold it up, but the force needed to open the bottle may cause it to shift. Also, by placing a magnet(s) near the opener itself may cause the cap to stick up top and not drop to the lower collection area. I could be wrong though, so if anyone tries this let me know how it goes!

-- “Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final.” ― Hunter S. Thompson